Gemut 1999-07A
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DEAR GEMüTLICHKEIT SUBSCRIBER The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe July 28, 1999 www.gemut.com Gemütlichkeit’s site on the World Wide Web is now in operation. We THE LÖTSCHENTAL plan for www.gemut.com to become a A spectacularly beautiful Swiss valley that is quickly and easily accessed by must-stop on the Internet for any automobile or rail yet remains remote and undiscovered. traveler to Germany, Austria, and/ or Switzerland, especially for sub- he spine is the Rhône river stein tunnel which connects Kander- scribers. and its valley. Sticking out on steg in the Bernese Oberland with both sides of it are wiggly ribs the Rhône Valley, the valley’s tiny Here are the site’s main features: T of intersecting valleys accessed by villages were accessible only via • Archives/Members’ Library. dead-end roads that snake high into high — 8,200 feet — mountain So far we have uploaded 84 issues, the Alps. In these upper valleys are passes. Its inhabitants were virtually from 1993 through June 1999. The found some of Switzerland’s best- cut off from the outside world. remaining six years of Gemütlichkeit known resorts: Zermatt, Saas Fee, Among the almost tribal tradi- — 1987 through 1992 — will be Crans Montana, Verbier. Some, like added over the next couple of Evoléne, Leukerbad and tions still observed in the valley is months. Subscribers can access this Zinal are not so well- By Bob the Tschäggätä, a mostly fur cos- Bestor tume with a large bell hung around searchable database for $4 per known — at least by Amer- month (minimum six months). icans. One of the most obscure is the the waist and a wooden face mask Those who enroll will ultimately Lötschental, a valley that holds hard covering the head. It is the mask that interests most. Hand-carved by have unlimited access to every to some ancient and mysterious Gemütlichkeit ever printed — cur- traditions and whose residents speak one of only two or three local arti- rently 151 issues — and also be able a special Swiss-German dialect. sans, each is a uniquely wild and to download the latest issue well spooky work of art. The fiercest are before it gets in the mail. Nonsub- The University of Basel has made in the village of Wiler by scribers will pay substantially more evidence of a 1,000-year-old settle- Anges Rieder-Jerien. You can see for this service. To enroll, email a ment in the Lötschental, but prior to her studio — and hundreds of user name, a password and a credit 1913 and the building of the Goppen- Continued on page 3… card with expiration date to [email protected]. • Hot Deals. We often hear of European Factory Delivery hotel, air and car rental deals that have a short window of opportuni- e’re whizzing along the tive, and well worth the time. ty. By the time we print them in the Autobahn, Beethoven newsletter, the deal is gone. Now blaring from the CD Rides around Porsche’s Weis- W sach test track are included, as is a you will be able to find them at player, enveloped by that special gemut.com. new car smell. Our car. We’re fascinating factory tour of the among the many Americans who Porsche plant in Zuffenhausen, a • Readers’ Comments. Log on have traveled to Europe to pick up Stuttgart suburb. Weissach, about and give us your trip feedback: 20 miles from Zuffenhausen, houses favorite hotels, best restaurants, bad new cars from European By Vickie auto makers, combining the automaker’s research and experiences, good deals, etc. When Ferguson the charm of Europe development facilities. The test fully operational, this part of the site track is a road course that winds will be searchable, so if you’re with the fun of driving our own dream vehicle on vacation. through the countryside. Engineers looking for a hotel, say, in Berlin, who developed our model drove us you’ll be able to quickly locate all Back in the states, we had or- along the test track. R & D uses the the entries about Berlin hotels. This dered our Porsche Boxster from a track constantly so innovations can will be a free area, open to anyone. local dealer, then signed up with the be tested by designers as soon as • Links. Here you’ll find a list of Porsche Cars North America Grand new models clear the assembly line. some of the best websites for travel- Tour, held twice a year. Buyers don’t Before touring the factory, we ers to Germany, Austria and Swit- have to take the tour and may pick stopped at the Porsche Museum zerland: tourist office sites, rail up an auto on their own. But we Continued on page 2… found the tour interesting, informa- Continued on page 4… July, 1999 value in the city. mgulasch mit Pilzen, Nudeln und Salat DEAR SUBSCRIBER (braised veal in a cream-based sauce Continued from page 1 This time we phoned ahead for a same-day reservation which was with mushrooms, noodles and salad) schedules, airline sites, and dozens fortunate because the hotel was full for 17.5 DM ($9). A small glass (3/ more. that night. We paid 210 DM ($111) 10th liter) of made-on-the-premises beer was 3.9 DM ($2) and a half-liter • Car rental and rail passes. Use for a very small but nicely furnished was 5.9 DM ($3). A brass band these pages to check rail prices, order double, Number 358. Amenities played starting at 11:30am. The passes or get a quote on a rental car. above the norm, such as a radio in brewery regularly hosts local bands. Free area. the bathroom, and quality furnish- ings, demonstrate owner Christa If you’re in the vicinity, the Freiburg We hope you will consider the site Meier’s determination to keep the fire department’s band will be there an added benefit to your subscription. Post competitive. The breakfast Sunday, August 29. Use it to find the latest Swissair deals, buffet included scrambled eggs and • That evening we saw a Freiburg get recommendations from fellow bacon. phenomenon. Near the beer garden, travelers, or check-out the best Ger- hundreds of students gathered in the many, Austria and Switzerland travel In a city which lacks charming, Augustinerplatz. They came to talk websites. This is just a beginning. family run accommodations, the Post and to eat and drink what they had Soon we’ll be adding pictures of is a busy hotel used mostly by busi- brought with them. There were no reviewed hotels and restaurants to ness travelers. Nonetheless, it is well- sidewalk cafes, no tables, no one our Member’s Library. Perhaps even maintained and convenient to both selling anything, they just congregat- sound and video. Take a look and let the rail station and the Altstadt. ed at this spot to enjoy the night, us know what you like and don’t like. The famed Zum Roten Bären, sitting in groups of varying sizes on More Trip Notes which claims to be Germany’s oldest walls, steps and on cobblestones. hotel, costs $20 to $40 per night more Here are notes from a brief late- than the Post and, since it is written • Freiburg, with its network of May visit to Freiburg im Breisgau, at up in virtually every Fodor, Frommer, narrow streets and alleys and many the southern end of the Black Forest. Fielding, etc., guidebook, is full of small shops and restaurants, is a • The Markgräfler Hof, one of tourists. On our last stay there we great town for strolling and window Germany’s great unsung restaurants, found both the service and the ac- Continued on page 8… is under new management and commodations wanting. Notes for Readers totally different: menu, decor, peo- Still a good and inexpensive • Foreign currency prices are converted to ple, everything. The man who made choice in the country a few minutes U.S. dollars at the exchange rate in effect at it go, Hans Leo Kempchen, has ‘up east of Freiburg is the Gasthaus zum the time of publication. stakes’ and gone. Anybody know Kreuz (Grosstalstr. 28, D-79117 • Hotel prices listed are for one night. where? Kappel, tel. +49/0761/620550, fax Discounts are often available for longer • We arrived in Freiburg by train 806820). The restaurant is especially stays. which made the Park Hotel Post, recommended. • All hotel prices include breakfast unless (Eisenbahnstr. 35, D-79098, tel. +49/ otherwise noted. • For an inexpensive meal, good 0761/31011, fax 31680, rooms from beer and convivial surroundings in • Local European telephone area codes 159 to 289 DM/$84-$152) about three Freiburg, try Feierling Biergarten carry the “0” required for in-country dial- blocks from the station, a logical ing. To phone establishments from out- (Gerberau Str.). The daily special on choice. Gemütlichkeit last reviewed side the country, such as from the USA, do Sunday, May 30, 1999, was Kalbsrah- the Post in 1991 and called it the best not dial the first “0”. Vol. 13, No. 7 HOTEL RESTAURANT RATING KEY July, 1999 GEMüTLICHKEIT The Travel Letter for Germany, Austria, Switzerland & the New Europe Rating Scale Scale Restaurant Criteria Excellent 16 - 20 Food 65% Publishers: Robert H. & Elizabeth S. Bestor Above Average 12 - 15 Service 20% Editor: Robert H. Bestor Average 8 - 11 Atmosphere 15% Contributing Editors: C. Fischer, R. Holliday, Adequate 4 - 7 Nikki Goth Itoi Unacceptable 0 - 3 Web Master: Paul T. Merschdorf Hotel Rating Criteria Value Rating Scale Consulting Editor: Thomas P.